Friends first

by PAUL DAFFEY

MOST coaches would rather piggyback the scoreboard around the boundary line than talk at length to the opposition coach on the morning of a match between their clubs. But Bendigo footy league rival coaches Brett Cook and Jamie Elliott were not worried about such silly conventions before their clash last Saturday.

Cook and Elliott met at AFL club Fitzroy in 1992. A few years later they were both at St Kilda while continuing to live north of the Yarra, with Cook in Moonee Ponds and Elliott in Keilor. Most weeks they drove to training and matches together, and a friendship was forged.

Cook played in the ruck for St Kilda in the 1997 grand final. Not long afterwards he and Elliott were delisted. For three years they played together at Ballarat league club Darley, with Elliott as coach and Cook his assistant.

Before this season, Cook was appointed playing-coach at Bendigo league club Kyneton, while Elliott was appointed non-playing coach at rival club Castlemaine. They continued their practice of talking by phone at least once a week.

During the season the pair have shared intelligence about rival clubs. On Wednesday evenings, Cook drives up from Coburg to play basketball with Elliott in Sunbury. Footy chat continues while they have a beer with teammates in the carpark after the match.

If hostilities were expected before the pair were to coach against each other last Saturday, they were defused when Cook suggested that they might as well drive to the game together. At 10.30am Cook was waiting outside Elliott's Sunbury home in his Holden Rodeo ute to pick up his rival coach for that day.

So what to talk about? According to both men, they chatted about who they thought should be in the interleague squad for this weekend's carnival. They also made plans for their post-season fishing trip to the Edwards River, near Deniliquin, and they complained about their wives.

The only time the match was mentioned was when Elliott took a phone call. During the week, the Castlemaine coach had created a storm by naming himself in the team. But by the morning of the match, his 35-year-old body was making strong objections.

When Elliott answered his phone call with something like, "Are you right to play?", Cook guessed that his old friend was not about to pull on the boots. When they arrived at the Kyneton Showgrounds, Cook hit Elliott to buy tickets for his club's crayfish raffle. Elliott gave him $20.

Elliott did remain on the sidelines, but Castlemaine kicked eight goals in the opening quarter. Cook played at centre half-forward and in the ruck for Kyneton but it was not enough to save his team from an 86-point defeat.

Elliott and Cook shook hands on the ground after the siren. Then Elliott had first shout in the bar. He stayed for an hour before taking a lift with his parents to Maryborough, his home town.

The match would be discussed on the phone during the week.

From The Age.

28 May 2008

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